I like Spain's attitude towards beaches. Beaches are an example of places where even the textile world would recognize nudity as beyond simply "natural", but common sense (as opposed to a 5-star white-linen restaurant, for example.) As it is, string bikinis don't leave much to the imagination. I'm still kind of baffled and almost frustrated that the U.S. still has issues with the beaches.

I've read about differences among different countries attitudes about nudism. Which countries are the most nudist-friendly? Which are the least? And what makes a country more accepting or unaccepting?

Melissa

I don't know if they are the MOST accepting, but I have been to Australia and those folks seem to have a very fun and laid back attitude about it.

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When we were in Teneriffe a couple of years ago we went to a beach that I was told was nudist. When we got there we walked onto the beach and could see a number of people nude so we chose a spot and got naked.Later I re-read the information that I had obtained only to find that we were not on the nude section. I left the wife and went to investigate and found the 'nude' section. Quite a lot of people all squeezed into a small bay.I returned to our spot on the main beach and in doing so walked past more nude people than were in the nude area.We returned to the same beach the next day and made camp in about the same spot as we had done the previous day. Looking around there were a good mix of people in various modes of dress. A young couple a few yards to our right were nude but when they went into the sea put on costumes.A group of 20 somethings placed themselves behind us. The girls went topless with thong bottoms, the boys had baggy shorts. After a game of ball the lads went into the sea and took there shorts off and stayed that way for the rest of the day, the girls kept there bottoms on.Later in the afternoon a Spanish family came onto the beach including granny. Dad, son and 16 year old daughter went nude. Mum was topless and granny sat reading and didn't take a stitch off.It goes to show that in some countries you are able to wear as little or as much as you please on the beach. Nobody was freaking out at the sight of nude people. Every body got on fine.Spain definatly tops my list of the most accepting country for nude recreation.

Yes Spain does have a very relaxed attitude to whatever you wear on the beach, including nothing. Although this does apply more to areas where most tourists are Spanish.However there are other attitudes that come into play. They like things done with style and prefer it if you 'look good naked' on their beachs.

Another thing that takes some getting used to, is that the Spanish will openly stare at you. It's not considered rude.

Spain has really opened up in terms of nudity in the last 10 years. Catalonia has a lot of small beaches and camping areas for nudists.Of course Germany is really the most open -- not surprising since the nudist movement began there. Germany has thermal baths in a number of major cities where the saunas are mixed and nude, like in Baden-Baden or Wiesbaden. People are of all ages...highly recommended.

My vote goes to the Canary Islands where no-one seems to mind how you dress on the beach. We stayed in Fuereventura in a hotel with a beach both sides - on one of the beaches there were probably more nude than not. It's a great island.

Went there just before I emigrated to Aus. and even when I booked the two weeks, the Travel Agency did clearly mention that the resort I had chosen was clothing optional. The memorable bits of the holiday were arriving at the resort (with a Welsh family - Mum Dad and the two kids) - and seeing as it was just the one of me (at that time) I thought it best to let them get booked in first. All was well, until a very tanned, very naked (as in hairless from the eyelids down) couple strolled in to have a look at the tours itinerary. The response from the "Brit" Family was actually priceless - the son telling Mum that "there are people over there with NO CLOTHES ON!!" in a hoarse whisper! Ma went quietly bonkers ('I told you we shouldn't have come here John" - that being Dad,) and the daughter seemed shocked speechless. Whilsat they were collecting their senses (and recovering from the spectacle) the Receptionist clearly asked me if I fancied an upgrade (for 10 Euros) to a vacant Unit - on the German side of the complex - and did specify that the bigger pool was nude only. Suited me just fine (which led to further anguish in the family), which just makes you wonder what's wrong with the traditional Brits!

Apart from the weather, sun and pool, the locals used to run naked along the seashore, and since many of my German fellow holidaymakers did also I joined in. No-one (and I DO mean NO-ONE!) ever complained, or even commented, so the conclusion must be that nudity is perfectly OK there. Even in the shops people seemed to be wearing almost nothing (apart from small G-strings, available everywhere, for the princely sum of 1 Euro!)

Mind you, you didn't get much coverage for your Euro (but who cares!). Still got three of them somewhere upstairs, just in case we have to visit the UK again sometime (Ha, Ha!!).

I'm from Atlantic Canada and I'm wondering why Canada is not nudist friendly? Canada is one of the World's greatest countries and it's not a nudist friendly one, it disappoints me :(

Canadian attitudes about nudist lifestyle vary greatly from province to province. More so than the USA, IMHO!

I usually work on my tan at a secluded spot on my Acreage near Edmonton. When people ask me how I got So Tanned, I tell them 'Yard Work' and leave it at that. These can be complete strangers as well as people that I know.

I know for a FACT, that if I was asked the same question by the same type of people if I lived in, say, Vancouver, my response would be 'Yeah, Wreck Beach was really busy this weekend'

One time,about 20 years ago, one of my friends bought a very rugged off-road 4wd. 5 of them, one of which was female all piled into the 4wd and took it to the gravel pits in Cloverbar to test it out. It was a hot day. one of the abandoned pits was full of clear cool water. The female in the crowd just stripped down to nothing and went for a swim. This was the 'talk at the watering hole' for about a week. My opinion was: So what, it was Hot and the water was Cool! I was nonjudgemental to the point where someone said: 'You would have probably joined her if you were there' I probably would have!

European nudes and American prudesBy Rick Steves, Tribune Media ServicesJuly 13, 2010 7:47 a.m. EDT(Tribune Media Services) -- It was 1978. My vagabuddy Gene and I were heading for a Turkish bath. With tattered towel around my waist, I walked gingerly across slippery marble into a steamy world of shadowy Turks under Byzantine domes.I felt gawky ... and more naked than naked.After an awkward sit in the sauna, a muscular Turk, who doled out massages like cannery workers gut salmon, laid me onto a round marble slab.With a loud slap, he landed on me, his hands working as if kneading dough in a prison bakery. He smashed and stretched each of my tight muscles.Finally, like lobotomized Gumbys, we were led to marble thrones to be doused in hot water and scrubbed with coarse mittens. Dirt curled off of us in rolls. Finally, we emerged onto the streets of Istanbul, cleaner than we'd ever been.Any traveler to Europe who's visited a bath, perused a newsstand, hung out at a beach or park on a sunny day, or channel-surfed broadcast TV late at night has noticed that Europeans are more relaxed than Americans about nudity.In the south of France, sunbathing grandmothers have no tan lines. In Norway, young children play naked in fountains. On summer days, accountants in Munich head to the park on their lunch break to grin and bare it, trading corporate suits for birthday suits.It's quite a shock to Americans (they're the ones riding their bikes into the river and trees).In Belgium, huge billboards advertise soap by showing a woman's lathered-up breasts. A Copenhagen student tourist center welcomes visitors with a bowl of free condoms at their info desk.I'm not comfortable with all of this, though I do think Americans tend to be overly prudish. But if you can leave your inhibitions at home, you can better appreciate some of the amazing experiences Europe has to offer. In Finland, a trip to a public sauna -- warmed by a wood-fired stove topped with rocks -- not only feels good, but is a living slice of this culture.Historically, Turkish baths weren't just for getting clean -- they were also a place for socializing, where Muslim women could look for a suitable bride for their sons or celebrate the birth of a baby.Croatia has some of the best beaches -- many of them without any dress code.The trend dates back to royalty: In 1936, England's King Edward VIII visited the island of Rab on holiday. Wanting an all-over tan, he went through the proper channels to have one of Rab's beaches designated for nudists.Inspired by his example, other travelers followed suit (er, dropped suit) ... and a phenomenon was born.Not everyone in Europe is comfortable with nudity.At the Vatican Museum, fig leaves cover many statues. From 1550 to 1800, the Church decided that certain parts of the human anatomy were obscene. Perhaps Church leaders associated these full-frontal sculptures with the outbreak of Renaissance humanism that reduced their power in Europe.Whatever the cause, they reacted by covering classical crotches with plaster fig leaves, the same kind of leaves that Adam and Eve used when the concept of "privates" was invented.Years ago, I faced my own fig-leaf dilemma. An early edition of my art-for-travelers guidebook featured a naked David on the cover. My publisher was concerned that bookstores in more conservative areas wouldn't stock it. A fig leaf would help sales.I proposed, just for fun, that we put a peelable fig leaf on the cover so readers could customize the level of nudity. I even paid half the cost and had the fun experience of writing "for fig leafs" on a check.Things get trickier when it comes to public television. Because of FCC regulations, we can't easily show spas, saunas, or beaches in Europe where nudity is the norm. And because I show paintings and sculptures of naked bodies, my programs are flagged by the network and, in some regions, aired only after 10 p.m., when things are less restrictive.In recent years, programmers actually got a list of how many seconds that marble and canvas body parts appeared in each episode. They couldn't inflict a Titian painting or a Bernini statue on a conservative viewership without taking heat and risking having to pay enormous fines of $275,000.You may not want to bring the more casual European approach to sex and the human body back home with you. And I'm not saying we should all run around naked. But I like a continent where the human body is considered a divine work of art worth admiring openly.(Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at rick@ricksteves.com.)COPYRIGHT 2010 RICK STEVES, DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

We've been to Greece several times and found it very nudist-friendly. In addition to the "official" nudist beaches, you can go nude on almost any beach on the islands. There were times when my wife and I were on a tourist cruise for the day, and noticed that when the boat stopped for some "beach time," certain tourists would go to the far end of the beach and strip. We started doing the same; we even met people from the US on the nude section. I think ALL beaches should be like this; a main section for the prudes, and a nude section at the far end. What is the harm in that? And everybody is happy. You can see the nude people in the distance; if you are offended by nudity, don't go there! It's not rocket science.

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